Mission
Origins
Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Games, regarded himself first and foremost as an educator. As he saw it, sport should form part of every young person's education, in the same way as science, literature and art. His aim was thereby to offer a harmonious education of the body and mind. The Olympic Games enabled Coubertin to give his educational concept the international visibility and scope it needed.
The IOC has acknowledged its particular responsibility in terms of promoting culture and Olympic education, and regards culture as the second dimension of Olympism, alongside sport.
The Olympic Studies Centre
Created in 1982, the Olympic Studies Centre (OSC) is today one of the world’s leading
centres for written, visual and audio information on the Olympic Movement and the
Olympic Games.
It is the entry point for the research, work or publications which contribute to education and the dissemination of the Olympic patrimony and its values.
The OSC’s main missions are:
- To ensure ongoing acquisition, preservation, description and diffusion of Olympic patrimony
- To promote and facilitate access to Olympic related written and audiovisual collections
- To provide services of research, analysis and creation of content
- To promote academic activities related to Olympism and stimulate synergies and collaboration between Olympic studies centres and researchers
- To encourage and promote collaboration with the Olympic Movement to ensure that global Olympic patrimony is preserved and made available
The Olympic Studies Centre is divided into specialised services which work in close cooperation:
Learn more about the Olympic Studies Centre in this 
downloadable brochure.
Resources
The collections of the Olympic Studies Centre contain 1km of paper archives, 47,000 hours of audiovisual documents, 650,000 photos, 24,000 publications, a selection of 420 review titles, and electronic resources linked to sport and Olympism.
©CIO Catherine LEUTENEGGER
Historical Archives
The main fonds open to the public are made up of text and microfilm documents retracing the history of the IOC and the Olympic Movement since their creation in 1894 to the present day (except for the last 20 years of activity).
- The IOC Presidents:
Demetrius Vikélas, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, Count Henri de Baillet-Latour, Sigfrid Edström, Avery Brundage, Lord Killanin and Juan Antonio Samaranch.
- The IOC’s decision-making organs: IOC members, Session and Executive Board, Olympic Congresses, IOC Commissions and Working Groups.
- The Olympic Games: Games of the Olympiad (Summer Games) and Olympic Winter Games, reflecting the IOC’s relations with the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) and the Candidate Cities. The OCOGs’ archives are conserved in the Games’ host countries. The list of institutions conserving these archives is available in the Olympic Studies International Directory
- Relations between the IOC and the Olympic Movement: National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs), national sports organisations, and organisations and institutions recognised by the IOC.
- The IOC’s external relations: public administrations, international governmental and non-governmental organisations, media, companies and private bodies.
- The IOC Administration, organised by activity.
- The Olympic Museum, past (Mon-Repos and Ruchonnet) and present (Ouchy).
- Fonds connected to the Olympic Movement: Regional games and sports events (besides the Olympic Games).
- Private fonds: Paul Martin, Charles Waldstein, Francis Messerli, Albert Mayer and Otto Mayer.
© IOC - Lothar RÜBELT
Image Archives
From the first photographs of the Athens Olympic Games in 1896 to the latest films of Beijing 2008, the IOC’s image archives provide researchers, members of the Olympic family and media professionals with the largest audiovisual collection on the history of the Olympic Movement.
Principal themes
- Events of the Summer and Winter Games
- Organisation and behind the scenes of the Olympic Games
- The IOC’s activities: Sessions, Commissions and Presidents
- The Olympic family’s activities (Olympic Solidarity, International Federations and National Olympic Committees)
- The Olympic Museum’s activities
- Memorabilia (photos of posters, medals, torches, sports equipment and other Olympic objects)
©CIO Hélène TOBLER
Library
The IOC Library offers the official publications of the Olympic Movement as well as a vast encyclopaedic collection on the Olympic and sports phenomenon.
Main themes
- The IOC and the Olympic Movement
- The ancient and modern Olympic Games
- Olympic and IOC-recognised sports
- Sports sciences
- Themes linked to the Games: arts and culture, economics, management, education, environment, infrastructure, tourism, medicine and health, social aspects, technology, legal aspects and security.
Multimedia offer
The Library’s resources are composed of printed documents (publications and reviews), electronic documents and a selection of films (on DVD).
Patrimonial publications
The IOC Library offers access to the official publications of the Olympic Movement, notably:
- The Olympic Charter
- The Olympic Review
- Pierre de Coubertin’s publications
- Olympic Games bid files
- The Official Reports of the Olympic Games
It also has a rare book collection, made up of rare or antique works showing the importance of sport in society and its evolution over time.
To find a Library document
Consult the catalogue Click here for the catalogue user guide
Access
The IOC Olympic Studies Centre, located in the premises of The Olympic Museum (Lausanne, Switzerland), welcomes researchers and other visitors interested in its collections. (link to directions).
For in-depth research on Olympism, the OSC offers a personalised service. To benefit from this, individuals or groups must send their request using the OSC research and visit request form before coming to the OSC.
The access to the Library is without prior formalities.
Opening times
- April-October inclusive: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- November-March inclusive: Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closure
- Official bank holidays
- 1 May
- Ascension weekend
- 24 December to 2 January inclusive
- The second week of January (inventory)
Historical Archives
The archives can be consulted in a study room, under the supervision of an archivist. Access to the archives is regulates be the Archive Access Rules.
People wishing to undertake research must first fill in and send back in advance (by email, letter or fax) the following form: OSC research and visit request form.
On request, the archivists can undertake preliminary research, which will allow the researcher to evaluate whether or not it is useful to come to the OSC.
For more information about the OSC Historical Archives, click here
Library
On site consultation
Consulting the publications is free and open to all.
Working areas and a study room with three PCs with Internet access are made available for consultation and research on site. Access to the study room must be reserved.
Study room regulations
An area is provided for watching DVD films.
Photocopiers and printers are available.
Loans on site
A continuous loan service, including advice, is available during opening hours. Loan regulations
In order to borrow publications, it is necessary to register: Registration conditions
The reader's card allows you to borrow works throughout the RERO network.
Inter-library loans
How can I borrow an IOC Library publication without coming to the Library?
To benefit from this national and international service, please contact your local library, which will forward the request to us.
For more information: Regulations for libraries on inter-library loans
How can I borrow a publication that the IOC Library does not have?
RERO-member users and OSC researchers have the possibility to order documents (publications and photocopies of articles) not available in the IOC collections, nor in any of Lausanne's libraries. The subject of the publication must however be linked to the themes of our library. For further information, see the Regulations for inter-library loans for our users
For more information about he OSC Library, click here
Image Archives
The photographic and audiovisual fonds are accessible to image professionals, the Olympic family, students and researchers. They are not accessible to the general public.
Consultation and copies
To view or obtain copies, a prior request must be sent to images@olympic.org, specifying the following:
- Research subject
- Utilisation context
- Format
- Delivery deadline
- Full address for invoicing
Research and copying costs are borne by the client.
For more information about the OSC Image Archives, click here
University Relations
The OSC facilitates and encourages links between the academic community and the IOC in order to promote research into and dissemination of knowledge about the Olympic phenomenon. The activities connected with the university world are linked to three main areas:
The postgraduate researchers’ grant programmeThe collaboration programmesThe Olympic Studies Observatory
The OSC offers a personalised service for visitors wishing to undertake in-depth research at the Centre on areas linked to Olympism. For groups with a particular interest in Olympism and sport, the OSC also offers tours to present the resources available and explain how to access them. Individuals and groups must send their requests using the OSC research and visit request form, before going to the Centre.
© CIO Catherine LEUTENEGGER
The postgraduate researchers' grant programme
Since 1999, the OSC has launched an annual research grant programme for young researchers undertaking research work on the Olympic Movement, its history and its values, as well as on the impact of the Olympic Games on various aspects of contemporary society and culture.
Objectives
The programme has the following objectives:
- To encourage young researchers to undertake research on the Olympic phenomena, especially in priority research areas (see list in the additional information section)
- To promote consultation of the IOC’s written and audiovisual patrimony
- To encourage collaboration between young researchers from different countries and disciplines
Admission
This programme is open to postgraduate students studying for a doctorate, as well as to university professors who have obtained their doctorate or equivalent final title in the last five years, and who currently hold a university function.
Application and registration deadline for the 2010 competition
The application files must reach the OSC by e-mail or post by 30 September 2009 at the latest (address indicated in the programme). Information on the 2011 competition will be available on the website as from May 2010.
FIND OUT MORE
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APPLICATION FORMS
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REPORTS
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© CIO John GICHIGI
Collaboration Programmes
The OSC collaborates regularly with the academic community on projects of common interest concerning the Olympic Movement and/or Games. It also encourages and supports the university world in research activities, teaching and publications on Olympism.
The OSC maintains contacts with a network of more than 30 Olympic Studies Centres, university experts, professors and students interested in Olympism.
There are notably OSCs in the following universities:
The Olympic Studies Observatory
Regular contact with the university Olympic Studies Centres, professors and researchers interested in the Olympic phenomenon keeps an “Olympic Studies Observatory” functioning.
This observatory, which aims to promote greater awareness of the field of Olympic studies, includes information concerning postgraduate courses offering:
Olympic content
Grants for research on sport and Olympism
Symposia or conferences linked with the Olympic phenomenon
Articles, conferences and/or research projects on Olympic themes undertaken by academics
People interested in Olympic studies can also consult on line Olympic Studies Net, a result from the previous reference source Olympic Studies International Directory, developed thanks to the collaboration of the OSC of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the IOC OSC. Olympic Studies Net gives information on the researchers and institutions specialised on the study of the Olympic phenomenon and institutions holding archival material concerning past Olympic Games editions.
Discover Olympic Studies Net
If you need information on the Observatory or if you wish to provide information on academic activities concerning Olympism, please send an e-mail to studies_centre@olympic.org.